THE TROUBLES of this world can be a huge obstacle to following Christ. Money, family, social status, possessions, and even religious tradition can distract us from prioritizing our lives in the proper order.

We also discuss the Parable of the Prodigal Son and the prophetic implications of Luke 17:20-37, which parallels Matthew 24:3-44. Luke adds “just as it was in the days of Lot” to the “days of Noah” reference we’re familiar with from Matthew. Does this mean a return of the Nephilim “who were on the earth in those days, and also afterward”?

THE CONSPIRACY to kill Jesus of Nazareth gains momentum as the Pharisees begin to look for reasons to stone him. Twice in this week’s reading Jesus hid himself because the time for him to be lifted up was not yet.

We also discuss the disbelief of his brothers, how allegorizing John 7:10 led to the heretical eschatology of the Latter Rain movement, and why Jesus’ reference to Psalm 82:6 (“I said you are gods”) in John 10:34 does not debunk the Divine Council paradigm.